Grab



July s, 1930. l H. REICHMANN 1,770,343

- GRAB 4 Fuer: aan. 3o, 195o 2 shams-sheen 1 H inrit elfcman n,

July 8, 19.30. H. REICHMANN 1,770,343

` l GRAB I Filed Jan. 30, 195D 2 Shoots-Sheet. 2 v

Patented July' Y nnmmcrr nnicnMANngfoE,nursiund GERMANY GRAB i f Application filed:January 30',"1;930Seria1 No. 424,5'3, andi-n Germany .Tune 14,7 j

My invention relateszto devices for ping scrap, ores, stonesor other articles, and.

has for its objectto -provide afdevice of this character which willbe .particularly adapted 5 to handle, 4without linjury* to the apparatus, stones or other material .,.oi"-relatively large size l or .great hardness, j The, accompanying drawings illustrate my inventionin connec-` tion with lifting devices'o thetype disclosed i r F, stance four pairs, as indicatedin Fig. '6.' 6U

Thegrippers ^aregulcrumed on the .lowerloin my application for Letters Patent of the United States filed March 9, y1928, Serial No. 260,269. rllhefdeviceincludes gripping for holding arms'or jaws ulcrumed'on acarrier and also pivotally` connected with pressure.l is rods, andf according to my present improvev ment atleast one of said-jointsor connections! (iulcrum joint and connection withthe pres` sure rod) is' constructed :as a universal joint givin-g 'theiparts great r freedom of'motion'.

VReference is to lbe had-tothe accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig- V1l is an elevation showing one embodiment of my invention, this view being fragmentary in that shows Y a single pair o'holdingl jaws, whereas in? 25 practice several "pairs vare generally employed, for instance after the fashion shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 2 illustrates separately, in elevation and upona larger scale thanFig. 1, two members which constitute a ffulcrum bearing i'or one of the holding jaws; Fig. 3 is a top View of one ofl said bearing members; Fig. Ll is a fragmentary elevation, with parts in section, illustrating another embodiment of my invention, this view, like Fig. 1 showing only one of the several pairs of jaws which the lifting device comprises generally; Fig. 5 is a detail elevation showing the lower end 01:' the pressure rod employed inthis second embodiment of my invention;V and Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the construction shown in Fig. 4, with parts broken away.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 8, I have shown an upper .box or carrier 1 and a lower 'box or carrier 2. The lifting rope or cable 8 is connected with entire apparatus in any well-known or approved manner, while the jaw-controlling 50 with rollers 5 and 6 journaled in the upper theV upper carrier 1, to raise or lower the- .carrieriland in the lower ycarrier 2 'respec-lv tively.{ VTo -the- .upper carrier, are'plvoted at Y' 9,'thepressure bars or Yrods 7 thev lower ends v ot'which are connectedlooselyat'lO .withw the holding jaws or4 grippers. 8,' v(arranged in n' 55 i pairs.; For the sake of simpler'illust'r'ation, j va single-pairlof grippers is'shownin-Fig. 1 (and Fig. 4;), butin practice I willgenerallyemploy `a plurality of such pairs, for in# carriage 2. K

f The joints 10 connecting the .grippersfff/ with the pressure 'rods Zfare ballandsocket joints in the construction illustrated by F igs.VY 65 Y r1, 2, and, andthe ulcrum connectionsfof` said grippersiwith the'lower carrier 2 areY made as'uni'versalfjoints, land-preferably as@v i `ball-and-socketjoints. Forthis purpose,-

the ulcrum ends` of the grippersS are shown as made `with. balls 11 Ifltted" Y into sockets formed in the adj acent-'acesfofsocket-mem! 1 bers-12 and 13. While these socket membersj` arey separated, the balls 11 are introduced betweenv them, thenthe upper member @'13 Vis 'lowered into` contact withthe lower member 12, and both members are secured to/.thc

1lowe-r'ycarrier2 in" any suitable manner.` VAs shown l1n Fig. 1, .thelower member 12 ispreferablyinfthe'form of a viange integral with 8c the. lower carrier. 2 Vand V3,1t'he Alower isocket member v12'hasa cut-.out portion 12a vgiving thel fulcrumjend I Vofthe gripper S'suliicient vvertical and lateral playgto enable'the gripper to adjust itself to the article Vtolbe heldl and rlifted. or lowered.

Thevprovision. of universalv oints at the lower ends of the pressure rodsis also shown 'in the; embodiment of myinvention illus-V trated byv Figs. 4, 5, and 6.. `The upper .car- 90V' i rier 15 is'connected with the liftingprope or vcable 3, while thev gripperlcontrollingrope orv cable: e engages-the'pulleys 5; and 6 journaled 1 inthe: upper carrier-'15 and in the lower carl rier' lirespectively.. The lower ends of the 95 pressure Lr'ods' 17 are connectedlooselywith" the grippersr 18, andthe lowerportion of lthe lowercarrier'm is formed' withthe upper halves1`9 of sockets in engagementwith the balls 2Ov at vthe'fulcrum ends `of thegrippers4 18. The lower halves 2l of these sockets are formed on the upper surface of a holdingmember 22, secured in position by bolts and nuts 23, or any other suitable means. This construction enables-the fulcruni joints of the grippers to be placed close to the center or vertical axis of the device, and this is desirable since the grippers'will then close with greater force and will also grip the material more powerfully. A plug 24iitted into suitable central sockets of the lower carrier l16v and of the holding memberQQ, serves to in-y sure the proper centering of these parts.

The loose connection at the lower ends ofv the pressure rodsul is alsokv in the nature of a iiniversaljoint, to enable the vgrippers and said rods to adjust themselves more read-4 ily to4 materialof large size and great hardness., Here tooI prefer to employ a ball-v and-socketjoint, as by providingballs 25 on the grippers 18, and comp anion forked sockets 17a at the lower ends of therods. 17. Simple horizontal pivots 26 will suiiice for a satisfactory cOnnection between the upper carrier l and the V.upper ends of the pressure rods 1f?, since'the length'andthe yielding or elastic character of these rods will give them suicientiiexibility; still-` if desired, universal joints might be provided at said upper ends also. L

Instead vof ball-and-socketformations,'--I.

may employ any. other. well-known or approved type of universal joint, suchV as hook jointsy or spring joints, as vlong as the desired function is obtained, which Vconsists in enabling the grippers not only to swing in vertical planes, but tomovelaterally and also to have Va limited f turning or twisting movement about an axis connecting the fulerum of a gripper with the point at which the lower f Then, by an upward pull on the cable 4 whileV the upper 'carrier remains stationary, the lower carrier is moved up toward the upper carrier, bringing the parts to the position shown in Figs. l and 4, and causing the grippers to close upon the article to be seized. Thereupon an upward pull is exerted on the cable 3 while continuing the upward pull on the cable 4, and thus the entire device is lifted together with the material held by the closed grippers. Vvvhen the material has been brought to the spot where it is to be released or deposited, the pull on the cable 4 is discontinued while the cable 3 is kept under tension, and the weight of the material and of the lower carrier will cause the latter to move downward relatively to the upper carrier, whereby the grippers will becaused to swing to the open or releasing position.V

It will be understood that the two embodiments illustrated are simply typical examples of my invention, and that various modifica- 4tions may be made without departing from thel nature of-my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

' claim:

l. A device of the class described, coinpi'isiiig an uppercarrier, a lower carrier movable toward ,and from said upper carrier, grippers having one set of joints connecting them loosely with the lower carrier, and also having another set 4of joints, the last-inention'ed joints being o f aball and socket type, and 'connecting lmeinbers extending frein ythe upper carrier to the grippers at the ball and socket joints thereof. Y Y

2. A device of the class described comprising an upper carrier, a lower carrier movable toward and from said upper carrier, said lower carrier having a flange provided with a plurality of Yupwardly open :sockets associated therewith, grippers having ball-portion engagingV said sockets, holding members having downwardly .open sockets therein secured to said-carrier and registering with the first said sockets to hold saidball portions in saidso'ckets, said grippers having Shanks connecting them with said ball portions, said first named sockets having vertical slots therein of greater width than the thickness of said shank-s, and connecting members connected toV said grippers and said upper carriers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HEINRICH REICHMANN. 

